DSF Q&A Sessions : The Widdler : Closed For Questions

[xthewiddler]

nice one on the wavedrum!

And i thought proximity to scofield's pharmacy was the only thing in common...

big ups for doin this widdz! tunes for days.

sharmaji ! <3

[stereotactic]

Big ups The Widdler! Mate, you are seriously one of my favourite, buy tunes on sight producers... I still cane Froggy Style constantly! Thanks for doing this.

Just a few questions...

What got you into dubstep? Was it a particular track or set that made you think 'that's what I want to be doing'?

Go Ask Alice is sick. Where did that huge, rattling, rasping bass come from? Reason? Vibes on that tune are off the hook man. Dark.

I thought Origin seemed to mark a slight change in direction musically, especially as previous tracks like Froggy Style, the Nemesis remix etc have that distinctive Widdler sound... I know you said above that this wasn't a conscious decision, more just amalgamating a load of tracks, but going forwards do you have an idea of where your music is going, or is it just a case of getting in the studio and seeing what comes out?

[Dub_Fiend]

Big ups Widdler!!

I think the only thing that I've ever been interested to know about you sound design-wise is how in god's name do you make that awesome bass tone I hear in a coupla your tunes, namely Disconnect (i think?) and the Sunday bootleg you released for free On Sunday it comes in about 2:15 or so and it just makes me want to bounce XD

In terms of other stuff, what is on the horizon for you?? Any EPs or albums like Origin (which might I add is utter genius and I'm glad you chose to experiment with the darker side of Dubstep and incorporate Hip Hop into the mix as well) in the works and have you any plans to hop across the pond to play some gigs in the future?

Gotta say that you are one of the producers I listened to when initially getting into Dubstep and your sound shaped how I write my tunes... You've been one of the biggest influences and I gotta give you mad props for that


Dub Fiend

[zinny]

Mad respect for you widdler!

Who are you listening to most at the moment in the dubstep scene?

& also is there a set structure you stick to when producing and layering up the different instruments in a tune, if so what is it?

[legend4ry]

Firstly.

Hello stranger, good to see you about a bit more on the forum.

Now, even though we've spoke about production a lot, I have a few questions, still.

I think its safe to say your dubstep has got more musical in the last 1.5 years and you've opened your horizons to deep house/2step influences and those track still have your drive and energy you had in your more dancefloor tracks. Is this a subconcious or concious decision? Even your deeper and ambient tracks have a lot of energy and roll along nicely.

How do you feel your sound developed from say... Lady Dub to what youre doin' now? Do you have new apsirations for your music and most importantly, are you still having fun making dubstep now you have some sort of pressure to keep making tracks as you've become a "house hold name".

And lastly..

When we are going to get this release out!? Been battering the tracks you wanna put out and they're going down a treat even though the versions are still WIP's haha!

[back2onett]

Easily one of my favourite artists over any genre, serious big ups to you

1) How did you make that bass in 'Same Way'? I've been perplexed by this for a while, it sounds like a pretty standard reese but it's just so polished I can't figure out what's going on with it processing-wise.

2) When starting a new song do you always have a clear idea of what you want it to sound like and the structure of it or do you just mess about until you like the sound of something and then work off of that?

3) How much time do you spend on technical aspects - specifically sound design - compared to the amount of time you spend on musical aspects like composition?

4) If you could add any 1 piece of hardware to your current setup what would it be?

[xthewiddler]

Big ups The Widdler! Mate, you are seriously one of my favourite, buy tunes on sight producers... I still cane Froggy Style constantly! Thanks for doing this.

Just a few questions...

What got you into dubstep? Was it a particular track or set that made you think 'that's what I want to be doing'?

Go Ask Alice is sick. Where did that huge, rattling, rasping bass come from? Reason? Vibes on that tune are off the hook man. Dark.

I thought Origin seemed to mark a slight change in direction musically, especially as previous tracks like Froggy Style, the Nemesis remix etc have that distinctive Widdler sound... I know you said above that this wasn't a conscious decision, more just amalgamating a load of tracks, but going forwards do you have an idea of where your music is going, or is it just a case of getting in the studio and seeing what comes out?

I have always liked BASS. That being said I liked every genre of music as well. One day in 05 I was browsing itunes and found the "science faction" release after searching through bass oriented imix's. From there it was only a matter of time by researching the artists on that compilation (scuba, distance, pinch etc..) that I found out what dubstep even was. I would consider the tune Twista by Scuba to be the first dubstep tune I owned.

The go ask alice bass, I assume you mean the longer one, not the croaking bass? Anyways it was made via once again the "elektronic" wavetable in maelstrom (just like froggy) only without doing and index wobble. There is also a saw wave layered in. It all goes through a slight comb filter then overdrive and then through a lowpass filter.

Origin DID have a different direction Tunes like froggy and nemesis are good for ep's and singles. Good stand alone tunes. Origin however was part of something bigger where each tune compliments the one before. So it helped me step into a new area. I will still be doing singles in the style of "older widdler" stuff, but mostly I just go with the flow and see what happens.

Who knows where the music will go, but it will go somewhere.

[xthewiddler]

Big ups Widdler!!

I think the only thing that I've ever been interested to know about you sound design-wise is how in god's name do you make that awesome bass tone I hear in a coupla your tunes, namely Disconnect (i think?) and the Sunday bootleg you released for free On Sunday it comes in about 2:15 or so and it just makes me want to bounce XD

In terms of other stuff, what is on the horizon for you?? Any EPs or albums like Origin (which might I add is utter genius and I'm glad you chose to experiment with the darker side of Dubstep and incorporate Hip Hop into the mix as well) in the works and have you any plans to hop across the pond to play some gigs in the future?

Gotta say that you are one of the producers I listened to when initially getting into Dubstep and your sound shaped how I write my tunes... You've been one of the biggest influences and I gotta give you mad props for that


Dub Fiend

It's great to hear from everyone btw

SO ya, the bass sound you are talking about is fairly easy to achieve. It is 2 sine wavs (one singled out for sub bass only). You take the onther sine wave (or square or triangle, but keep them basic) and bring up the attack a wee bit. Send it through a lowpass filter with the rsolution turned up a bit. Turn down the freq knob until you barely hear anything but subass. Then using either a filter envelope (what i used) or an LFO (or manually by automation) you get the filter to rise and fall or open and close fairly quickly. That gives you the deep wuuuub sound. Mess with the resolution / filter freq/ and LFO amount to hone it in better.

I'm not sure what the future will hold, but I am still going to be making music no matter what. For now I can say if i continue like this, there will be a new album sometime in the future as I am constantly piling up works, and there will be a few more ep's/singles released in time as well.

As for overseas gigs (and gigs in general) I take a few here and there, I don't like to tour or over play, so I will make it over seas eventually for a few shows, not sure when yet.

[xthewiddler]

Mad respect for you widdler!

Who are you listening to most at the moment in the dubstep scene?

& also is there a set structure you stick to when producing and layering up the different instruments in a tune, if so what is it?

I don't have anyone in particular that I listen to more than others tbh and if i start naming names the thread will be a long list of all the dubstep artists ever heh.

When starting a tune it will usually (about 60 percent) start with drums or some kind of percussion. From there if it is a bass oriented tune I will build a bass, if it is synth oriented or deeper i'll focus more on the ambience and pads. The rest of the time I start with anything that sparks in my head. I will be digging through samples or synths or just messing about with something, if it suddenly catches my ear as a possibility for more, I go with it.

[xthewiddler]

Firstly.

Hello stranger, good to see you about a bit more on the forum.

Now, even though we've spoke about production a lot, I have a few questions, still.

I think its safe to say your dubstep has got more musical in the last 1.5 years and you've opened your horizons to deep house/2step influences and those track still have your drive and energy you had in your more dancefloor tracks. Is this a subconcious or concious decision? Even your deeper and ambient tracks have a lot of energy and roll along nicely.

How do you feel your sound developed from say... Lady Dub to what youre doin' now? Do you have new apsirations for your music and most importantly, are you still having fun making dubstep now you have some sort of pressure to keep making tracks as you've become a "house hold name".

And lastly..

When we are going to get this release out!? Been battering the tracks you wanna put out and they're going down a treat even though the versions are still WIP's haha!

thanks Ledge <3

The change came about I think when I started to learn more about production, mixing, etc. I have always enjoyed deep house , jazz, chillout, and anything blue and vibey, but never really took the time to try and make my own. I didn't think I had enough quality in my production. (I still don't lol). So ya it was concious to an extent, but not premeditated and who knows what styles i'll decide to pick up for the future.

Sensi and Lady are tunes that are one of a kind for me. The reason being is that when I made them I had no idea what dubstep was, I never djed before, and I had all summer ahead of me. The structure of the tunes is more like a band playing a song rather than a beat for a dj to mix in my mind. Now I definitely cater more to the dj than i maybe should.. hmm..

I always have fun making music, but yes there has been pressure from various places.. =/ Things started off as, I make a tune on my own time and if I like it I pass it out or try and find a release. Nowadays I get approached by labels with ideas of what kind of releases they want, they come back with complaints and revision ideas, etc... and it isn't something I signed up for. As you can tell I have been quite distant to the forums and even distant in aim/facebook. A lot of this is trying to neutralizer the widdler persay heh. To get people off my back about making tunes and bangers and hits and to just go back to having fun making music.

That being said though, I LOVE LOVE LOVE my dubstep fam, this forum, and everyone who is a part of the scene. I just don't like business! Also , this was never about making the widdler a household name or for fame or money or any of that. It was always and will always be about music and fun

stay fresh ledge

[ENNO]

Big respect widdler, one of the origional that got me into dubstep

1) How do you got bout making your drums huge and keeping your bass fat aswell....I seem to be struggle a bit with this at the mo. Do you side chain your bass of roll of some frequencies?

2) When the fuck is Acheri coming out....give it to me, I want it!!!!!!!

[legend4ry]

I always have fun making music, but yes there has been pressure from various places.. =/ Things started off as, I make a tune on my own time and if I like it I pass it out or try and find a release. Nowadays I get approached by labels with ideas of what kind of releases they want, they come back with complaints and revision ideas, etc... and it isn't something I signed up for. As you can tell I have been quite distant to the forums and even distant in aim/facebook. A lot of this is trying to neutralizer the widdler persay heh. To get people off my back about making tunes and bangers and hits and to just go back to having fun making music.

Thats absolutely AWFUL! Basic labels are contacting you to make a track for them to release to earn them money, instead of releasing tracks they like of yours to support you as an artist and hopefully earn some money from it? I can understand why you've been on a disapearing act lately if thats how people are treating you....

[Basic A]

I always have fun making music, but yes there has been pressure from various places.. =/ Things started off as, I make a tune on my own time and if I like it I pass it out or try and find a release. Nowadays I get approached by labels with ideas of what kind of releases they want, they come back with complaints and revision ideas, etc... and it isn't something I signed up for. As you can tell I have been quite distant to the forums and even distant in aim/facebook. A lot of this is trying to neutralizer the widdler persay heh. To get people off my back about making tunes and bangers and hits and to just go back to having fun making music.

Thats absolutely AWFUL! Basic labels are contacting you to make a track for them to release to earn them money, instead of releasing tracks they like of yours to support you as an artist and hopefully earn some money from it? I can understand why you've been on a disapearing act lately if thats how people are treating you....

Seconded...

Thats really fucked man...

[zonetrooper5]

Where is that vocal sample in lady dub from I've been dying to know!

check 1 minute into this video

Ahh now I know where Zomby sampled from for his song Float.

[xthewiddler]

Easily one of my favourite artists over any genre, serious big ups to you

1) How did you make that bass in 'Same Way'? I've been perplexed by this for a while, it sounds like a pretty standard reese but it's just so polished I can't figure out what's going on with it processing-wise.

2) When starting a new song do you always have a clear idea of what you want it to sound like and the structure of it or do you just mess about until you like the sound of something and then work off of that?

3) How much time do you spend on technical aspects - specifically sound design - compared to the amount of time you spend on musical aspects like composition?

4) If you could add any 1 piece of hardware to your current setup what would it be?

1) It is in fact a reese, but what makes it "smooth" I think is that it is built from 3 separate oscillators (4 if you count sub bass). Most reese is a saw wave detuned etc, but this one is a saw, a square, and a triangle. The saw and square got paired up clean, whilst the triangle went through a comb first, then it all goes through a lowpass filter.

2) When I start a song I don't think too much about what it will be. Just the tempo and maybe how hard or soft it will be. From there it is really about experimenting. Sometimes I will go in and start something that i think has a certain direction and once it is rolling I realize it is something new. I think that is key to my production technique. I don't force things to happen that i think should happen, I go with the flow of good sounds and end up with something I might not have expected.

3) Time spent on tunes varies A LOT for me. I don't focus on different aspects seperatley I think of the tune as a whole, so I mix/compose/automate, on the fly as the tune builds. I like to spend as much time as possible trying to get the elements to sit together nicely and mix together, because in my opinion no matter how good a song is, if the mix doesn't do it justice it will get lost in itself (if that makes sense). I had a 4 month period where I was very lazy and didn't spend time on the details and it showed.

4) Hmmmmmm.. I would say either any type of Moog synth, or a Yamaha G10 guitar synth, its a joke toy but I have always wanted one.

[xthewiddler]

Thats absolutely AWFUL! Basic labels are contacting you to make a track for them to release to earn them money, instead of releasing tracks they like of yours to support you as an artist and hopefully earn some money from it? I can understand why you've been on a disapearing act lately if thats how people are treating you....

Don't get me wrong I am very flattered that labels and artists that want remix's approach me for these things, but I don't appreciate like you said, those who are looking to make a profit for their name and label at the cost of my creative drive.

It isn't just that which made me "disappear" though, it was also needing a break from the scene and such, I kinda went full force for a few months and it took a lot out of me.

But now things are slowly neutralizing and going back to how they should be, with no rush, no hurry, good music, good fun, good people.

[reignstep]

Big up to you for doing this man, loving most of the shit you bring out.

A) When using samples from the internet/movies/songs, you ever went to the makers of the sample to get the release rights for your tune?

B) Do you have moments where you just sit in front of your DAW, staring at the screen playing the same loop over and over again, not knowing what to do? If so, what helps if you really really wanna continue but you just can't?


It's been a damn useful thread already, thanks!

[Sharmaji]

yo Gang-- not sure how this thread wound up locked-- lemme ask the other mods and see what's up. anyway, open for business right now.

[FSTZ]

I heard you have some pretty awesome kazoo skills, is this true?

on a serious note, how many tunes do you make in a week?

ya that is "harrington 1200", which was in one of the episodes of the epicly funny "look around you" series. It should eventually get a release as well, I have many tunes like that and prehistoric world that need a final master and such. Perhaps try and get all the older tunes released together , we'll see

bigup Computer Jones!! almost as cool as Synthesizer Patel

[Depone]

I heard you have some pretty awesome kazoo skills, is this true?

on a serious note, how many tunes do you make in a week?

ya that is "harrington 1200", which was in one of the episodes of the epicly funny "look around you" series. It should eventually get a release as well, I have many tunes like that and prehistoric world that need a final master and such. Perhaps try and get all the older tunes released together , we'll see

bigup Computer Jones!! almost as cool as Synthesizer Patel

On a serious note though, i learnt all my production skills from these informative videos - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5cWWV0KNDg

Was there one producer you looked upto in particular and aspired to be like? or was it just... look i made this noise cool!